Explanation:
Created as planet Earth sweeps through dusty debris from
mysterious, asteroid-like, 3200 Phaethon,
the annual Geminid Meteor Shower should be the best meteor
shower of the year.
The
Geminids are
predicted to peak on the night of December 13/14, but you can start
watching for Geminid meteors
this weekend.
The best viewing is after midnight in a dark, moonless sky,
with the
shower's radiant constellation Gemini
well above the horizon - a situation that favors skygazers
in the northern hemisphere.
In this picture
from the 2009 Geminid shower, a bright
meteor with a greenish tinge
flashes through the sky over
the Mojave Desert near Barstow, California, USA.
Recognizable in the background are bright
stars in the northern asterism known as the
Big Dipper, framing the meteor streak.